“The Music Man” opens on Thursday and runs for two weekends. All evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday matinees begin at 2 p.m. For tickets, call the box office at 989-354-3624.

Showtime may be right around the corner, but it’s taken a lot of behind-the-scenes effort and a lot of hands on deck to bring this musical delight to the stage.

Kirstine Furtaw and Nan Hall are co-directing the musical by Meredith Willson.

“We started meeting in the summer,” Furtaw said of the crew members involved in planning the production.

News Photo by Darby Hinkley Grace Morrison paints an archway on the set of “The Music Man.”

“The scenic design for this is a big undertaking, because it’s several different locations,” Furtaw explained. “You’ve got outside, inside scenes, all different kinds of places.”

The stage will be transformed to represent those locations for each scene, thanks to the expertise of set designer Grace Morrison, and the valuable help of Jackie Herbert, Reggie Morrison, Nancy Mead, Bill Powell, Jason Luther, and Danyeal Dorr.

“Some things will be highlighted at different times, and lighting will be a big thing,” Morrison said as she took a break from painting part of the set last week.

She has been working on sets at the Civic Theatre for 40 years.

“I did one, and I had so much fun, I just kept doing it,” Morrison said. “We’re always working out problems and changing things around, because we never know what’s going to work and what’s not going to work. It’s like a puzzle. We put it all together, and we just adjust until it comes together right.”

News Photo by Darby Hinkley Jackie Herbert uses a drill to secure a piece for the set of “The Music Man.”

She loves the creativity involved in set design.

“Costumes will be big,” Morrison added. “We’re really focusing on the costumes.”

MaryAnn Crawford is the costume designer, with help from Virginia Hulsey.

“Costumes and the set are the first things an audience sees when the curtain opens and need to establish a play’s time period,” Crawford said. “As a costumer, I read the script and research clothing styles that will fit the play’s time and meaning.”

Crawford is responsible for about 300 pieces, including 70 outfits.

News Photo by Darby Hinkley Co-directors Kirstine Furtaw and Nan Hall stand backstage last week at ACT.

“With productions like these, it can get overwhelming very quickly, with so many moving parts,” Crawford said. “And that many different people asking you, ‘Do you like this shirt?'”

She said it’s always worth it when the production comes together in the end.

“When it works, I love it,” she added.

Bronwyn Woolman takes all the beautiful cast photos you see on the board when you walk up the stairs to the theater.

Jean Martin-Baker is the music director, a crucial role in a large musical like this one, which has a cast of 34 actors, who share the stage with six musicians.

News Photo by Darby Hinkley MaryAnn Crawford looks up from sorting through costumes at Alpena Civic Theatre.

Christine Giordano is the choreographer, working with actors as young as 8, up to actors in their 80s. She teaches at the Dance Centre in Alpena. Her daughter, Brittany Giordano, is the choreography assistant.

“They are doing an amazing job,” Hall said of the Giordanos. “Having (Christine) is critical, because she can look at a number and figure out even the smallest things to make it pop and come alive.”

“I love working with Kirstine and Nan and Jean Martin-Baker,” Christine Giordano said. “I’ve been doing choreography for musicals for quite some time. When you do choreography for a show, sometimes you have to find the movement to match the characters. That’s always fun to do.”

She noted that it can be challenging, but it’s always fun to help actors learn the dance moves.

“I take into account people’s different abilities,” she said. “We try to make them comfortable by fitting the movement to what they’re comfortable with. We have quite a large cast and we have to fit them all on this stage … We work together as a team, and I really enjoy collaborating like that.”

News Photo by Darby Hinkley Reggie Bisanz smiles while painting a board for the set. It make look like wood, but it’s made out of a lightweight foam material.

Jay Kettler is the lighting designer, as well as playing several roles, including a member of the popular barbershop quartet.

“The neat thing is we have the ability to create in people’s minds a totally different place,” Kettler said. “We have all kinds of colored lights happening.”

He said there are between 80 and 100 lighting cues in this production.

“This is neat because everything is open and the audience can see all the scene changes,” Kettler noted. “We are changing the lighting from a hot day to a cool evening.”

He said a hot day requires amber lighting, while a cool evening requires blue and green lighting.

Kettler loves what he does, and he and his wife Marilyn have been actively involved in productions at Alpena Civic Theatre since they retired from teaching downstate and moved to Alpena about 20 years ago.

“I feel younger than I have in 10 years,” the 77-year-old said. “This is good for me. It really does keep me young.”

He especially loves that this musical features community members of all ages.

Lighting is an important part of any production, but one that many people might not think about as they watch the actors onstage.

“It’s the ability to influence people for the better by giving them a little bit of wonderment and surprise,” Kettler said. “And lead people into a different reality. I can help people feel warm and feel the sunshine, even though it’s coming from a spotlight.”

Andrew MacNeill and Jackie Herbert are also responsible for running lights and sound.

“We call her ‘Jackie of all trades,'” Hall said of Herbert.

Carol Rundell is the producer of “The Music Man.”

Fran Hamp is an integral part of the behind-the-scenes crew, working hard in the box office to make sure patrons are taken care of with their tickets and reservations.

The Civic Theatre crew is like a family.

“We have so many talented people in Alpena that it’s just a joy to work with them again and again,” Kettler said.

“People need to be aware that our doors are open,” Furtaw added. “If you have any interest in helping out, even just a little bit, here and there, to learn more about what goes into putting on a play. It’s not just about performing on stage. There are so many other aspects.”

“It’s a collaborative effort, and that is, really, what energizes everything,” Hall said.

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